Arsenal: Substitute striker role not to be taken lightly

Arsenal have a lot of great strikers, and it’s becoming clear that whoever is in that substitute role may have the best chance of making a difference.

Arsenal‘s strikers are perhaps their strongest asset. Between Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, they have two elite strikers that can carry the team into the promised land. In Danny Welbeck, they have a quality presence who can fill the gaps and drive the team in side competitions.

And we haven’t even tapped into Eddie Nketiah yet this year, who is looking like the real deal for years to come.

Through it all, there has been an emerging role that looks to bring out the best in these strikers, and that role is as the substitute, oddly enough. Being a substitute is not a glamour role, but with this Arsenal attack, the substitute striker has actually become exactly that – for a certain kind of striker.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s last two matches as striker have earned him four goals – two against Fulham and two against Leicester City.

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He may not enjoy not starting, but his scoring record as a starter compared to as a substitute speaks a clear message – he benefits greatly from being brought on later. And I think it’s clear why, because it’s the way that he plays the game. He is a quick burst, speed merchant who can run at opposing defenses and if they haven’t seen them at the top of their fitness from the start of the match, seeing him come on late is a nightmare.

Danny Welbeck has shown the same thing and he showed it again against Crystal Palace, except without the hard results. He was a menace running at the Palace defense, breaking into space and leaving opposing defenders in the dust. He looked unstoppable and I just wish he could have been utilized more, because he looked menacing.

But then again, I reckon that had Welbeck started and Aubameyang came on in relief, there would have been a similar effect – a pulsing drive from deep that could consistently pierce the opposing defense.

As it stands, the substitute striker gig is giving Welbeck and Aubameyang a lot of joy, and it’s a situation to be taken seriously. If Aubameyang is that much more potent as a sub, then why let a good thing be?

Whatever the case, it’s nice to have so many strikers capable of making a difference from the off and from the bench.